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Announcement and Invitation to the 25th Anniversary International Indian Treaty Conference. --From the International Indian Treaty Council

At the invitation of the Hunkpapa Treaty Council, the Hunkpapa Lakota Red Robe Women's Society, and Wanblee Wakpeh Oyate, the IITC will hold its 25th Anniversary Treaty Conference in Lakota Nation Territory, June 23 - 26, 1999. The site will be Mato Paha (Bear Butte), a sacred traditional area in the Paha Sapa (Black Hills), at the Rosebud Educational, Cultural, and Spiritual Center about 40 miles from Rapid City, South Dakota.

The Conference will provide an opportunity for Indigenous Peoples from many countries and Nations to share information, discuss developments from community to international levels, and build joint strategies in response to critical issues facing our Peoples and lands. The Conference will be camp-out with meals provided. No alcohol or drug use is permitted at this site. Motels rooms are available 7 miles away in the town of Sturgis.

Bear Butte is a sacred site for both the Lakota (Sioux) and Tsitsistas (Cheyenne) Nations, used for traditional ceremonial purposes since time immemorial. With the unilateral violation of the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty with the Lakota, largely motivated by gold mining and timber interests which continue to exploit the Black Hills region today, Bear Butte and the Black Hills were illegally appropriated by the U.S.

The issue of Treaty rights and Treaty violations will be a primary focus at the Conference, in honor of the host Nation and site, as well as in response to the significant international developments which have occurred in recent years. A focal point will be a review of the draft final report of United Nations' Treaty Study.

In addition to Treaties and Agreements, key areas for discussion will be Religious Freedom, cultural rights and protection of sacred sites; Biological diversity, environmental protection, sustainable development, and safeguarding traditional knowledge and resources; land rights and land demarcation; impacts of mining and oil extraction; Indigenous youth issues including youth workshops and programs; prisoners rights and arbitrary detentions; international standard-setting with a focus on the U.N. Draft Declaration for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; Rights of the Child; and strengthening of Traditional governments, Sovereignty and Self-determination.